Recalling Sent E-mails in Outlook

Scenario:

You have sent out an email accidentally/incorrectly, and want to recall the message. You can do this process yourself for time-sensitive matters; however, submitting a support ticket allows for our team to assess and assist.

Steps to perform a Recall:

  1. Open the desktop Outlook application
  2. Go to the Sent Items Folder: In the left pane, find and click on "Sent Items" to view your sent emails.
  3. Find the Email to Recall: Locate the email you want to recall. Double-click on it to open it in a new window.
  4. Access the Recall Feature:
    1. In the opened email, go to the "Message" tab in the ribbon.
    2. Click on "Actions" (this may be under the three horizontal dot drop-down menu to the far top right, if it is not immediately visible).Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)
    3. Select Recall This Message from the drop-down menu.
  5. Choose Your Recall Options:
    1. You’ll see a dialog box with two radio buttons:
      • Delete unread copies of this message: This option will attempt to delete the email from the recipients’ Inboxes.
      • Delete unread copies and replace with a new message: This option allows you to replace the original email with a new one.
    2. There is also a checkbox "Tell me if recall succeeds or fails for each recipient"
    3. Select your preferred options, and then OK
  6. If you selected the option to "Tell me if recall succeeds", you'll soon receive a Message Recall Report email, with a link you can click to view a Report

Additional Notes:

  • Notify Recipients (Optional): If you chose to replace the email, you can compose a new message at this stage.
  • Check the Recall Status: You may receive notifications about whether the recall was successful or not, based on the recipients’ settings and whether they had already read the email.
    • If any messages to internal (@unbc.ca/@alumni.unbc.ca) recipients failed to recall, definitely create a support ticket for ITS. We are able to deal with messages even if they have already been read.
  • Recall using Outlook on the Web: Email can also be recalled using Outlook on the Web, though it provides fewer options. After opening the email in the Sent Items folder, select the three-dots menu and then Recall message. You will be prompted to click OK or Cancel. There are no options for replacing the message, or receiving a message recall report.

Things to Consider:

  • Timing: The recall feature only works if the recipient hasn’t read the email yet
  • Limitations: Messages can only be recalled if they were sent to internal recipients (they have @unbc.ca or @alumni.unbc.ca addresses). Also, if the recipient is not using a Microsoft email client, the recall may not be successful.
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